I am a third year doctoral student in the general epidemiology program. I anticipate defending a thesis proposal for my dissertation research in the spring. For my research proposal, I will be conducting a nested case-control study of the relationship between inflammation and the development of breast cancer. I entered the doctoral program in general epidemiology because of a specific area of interest for my dissertation research, the etiology of cancer. My particular interest in the field of public health is the epidemiology, prevention, and early detection of breast cancer. At this time, a woman's strategy to prevent breast cancer is to reduce her known modifiable risk factors whenever possible, by increasing physical activity, reducing obesity, avoiding cigarette smoking, and reducing alcohol intake. Early detection of breast cancer greatly improves treatment options and improves the odds of successful treatment and survival. I would like to explore possible risk factors for breast cancer that could help reduce the incidence of breast cancer. I will study how inflammatory markers can help predict the risk of breast cancer.